I never take high quality photos of my daughter. Two reasons but not good excuses! First is because I always have my Iphone and have over 2k pictures on it maxing out my memory and more on my computer, and 2 because getting the kid ready, preparing for the shoot, being the photographer and mom, at the same time is tough! It took me hours to prep, plan, get her ready, set up at the studio, and then try to shoot technically, get her to pay attention to me and smile. Most would say well she is probably used to you having the camera in her face all the time. Yes and no. She is, but also runs away from me most of the time. Most of my photos I have of her are crazy action shots, but I love every single one because they are candid and really show her goofy self. She is hilarious and I would must rather have her silly faces than a forced smile any day! But I love this attempt at her first “official” photo session! I think she will have many more to come, but I also can’t wait til the weather warms up and we can go outside and I can capture her having fun and doing everything that she loves!! She is becoming a girly princess and wears skirts and crowns everywhere but still loves dirt and worms! 🙂

I love this little guy like he is my own! He is the sweetest, funniest, cutest little boy I know!!! I have known him since he was in the making and can’t believe is he gonna be 3! Side note he is taken lol!! By my 2 1/2 year old daughter!!! Hehehe!! So his mom and I planned a day just for him!! Take him down to the studio! Photograph his beautiful little face… write out his favorite things and have him pose with it… dress him in his Superman cape and mask and boots and underwear with a fan blowing his cape! I got him a little John Deere hat for his birthday because he loves his diggers and bobcats that his daddy uses!! So we get there and he’s excited!! I show him my studio and I start photographing him! After about 10 minutes his attention is not on the task!! What 3 year old wants to sit there and do what his mom and I are telling him to do!! The chalkboard…well that’s fun!! Even more fun for him to erase it over and over and want to chalk on it!! So funny!! We were trying so hard to just have him hold it and look at us! The one picture I did get that it wasn’t erased ended up being something I love! Candid and him looking down at it! I got some great shots of him laughing and making silly faces at me!! Its funny how you try so hard.. and I have to go back and remind myself that he’s 3! If I force him into doing something he doesn’t want to do… then it is no longer fun for him!! And besides some pics for mom, that’s what is all about!! After the day was over we were like well that didn’t go as planned… but as I look at the pictures more and more I love every single one of them more and more!!!! Each one shows exactly his personality!! Cute, funny, smart, and a little stinker!! And I love each picture and him so much!! So you will notice there are not any cape and Superman pics…. He wouldn’t put the cape on! We got him to somehow put the rainboots, socks and underwear on! While coaxing him into putting the cape on and showing him how cool the fan was going to be…he kicked his boots off, tore his socks off, and next thing we know… his underwear are off too!! I couldn’t take a picture because I was laughing soooo hard!!! Think we pushed it a little too far and he just didn’t want anything to do with it!! Gotta say that’s one photographic moment that’s going to go down in the books as the most entertaining of my career!!

Yay! I finally took some friends away from jcpenny portraits! I mean nothing against them… But I like to think that I offer something you can’t find there!! I now have this amazing studio to work at, great lighting, I can set up whatever ideas I would like, have fun, and most importantly take the time needed, and make the kids comfortable. 1 1/2 and 3 can be hard individually but also shooting together! It can either be good, bad, great, terrible, etc! It’s all about the kids and their mood! It went wonderfully and they are so beautiful! They look just like their mommy and daddy! She called me after and said Shannon, I have never been able to get pictures of both of my kids smiling! I was so happy with the pictures and knew what it meant to them. Little things like that make me so happy and makes me feel good that I am able to offer people something they can’t always get somewhere else! I was able to capture both kids smiles and personalities, Portraits, and my favorite is candid parent and child shots! Knowing they will have these gorgeous pictures of their kids for their house and that she is giving as Christmas gifts makes me smile! I love my job!! I put everything I have into it and the way I feel successful is when someone loves their pictures!

Every parent wants those holiday photos of their child and their family! I booked with a client that I did for his first birthday! He was now 18 months. I was so excited to see him again!! I remember that age….after they are walking, starting to really explore and figure things out for themselves, and also not wanting anything to do with strangers, or doing what they are told! Who would….when there is that whole world out there!! So when I met up with Logan and his parents in the studio he wasn’t having it! He was very well behaved, and so adorable, but he just wouldn’t smile for me! We tried and after a little while I said lets do this again tomorrow! It was scheduled to be 60 degrees in December in Ohio and that is unheard of! So I made plans to meet up with them in a great town square! It was decorated beautifully and I think he had a little more fun and wasmore comfortable. I will always go the extra mile to provide my clients with the photos that they hope for! I want them to treasure these pictures for many many years to come! I want them to hang them on their walls and look a their little baby who grows too fast and his smiling face!

Oh my!!! I knew these pictures would be cute….but even I was surprised! I have been photographing her since birth, and her mom and I talk and plan ideas for each coming session! It was her first birthday so I was sooooo excited for her smash cake and cute little face!! Her mom is responsible for the amazing toule backdrop she created…the adorable outfits and some amazing ideas! I knew some balloons, a cake, and an adorable baby would be all I needed to get some amazing shots! We planned for weeks, and prepped for a two hour shoot….Every outfit, every set up Addy just smiled and smiled! It was perfect and so much fun!! These pictures make me smile so much!!!! I’m just a little sad that she is growing up so quick!! But I have beenso blessed to be able to watch her grow up and photograph every milestone!!!

This is my other little niece! She is such a sweet little baby. Always smiling and happy. It is crazy to see what I still think of as my baby brother with a little girl! Again, being an aunt and sharing parenthood with my brother and sister is just as rewarding as being a mom myself! We planned to do some outdoor family shots at the same spot that they had their engagement pictures taken. It was November in Ohio and I had just returned from Florida the night before, but it was a surprising almost 60 degrees!! We then headed down to the studio and got some great shots of her! She was happy and didn’t mind having her picture taken! One of the easiest shoots I have done! My brother is funny…he wanted to make it look like she was sitting on the rock and peaking out behind the tree all on her own! I love all of the pictures and I always enjoy seeing them made into Christmas cards for everyone to enjoy! I save them all, and have a wall in my house of all of my friends and families kids so I can look at them all year!!